This project is a joint submission from London Metropolitan University (lead partner) and NottinghamTrent University. Each party has separately been developing innovative software applications for blindlearners.

Gamelab London, part of the Faculty of Computing at London Met, has produced a full Maths learningapplication in conjunction with BBC (project value £350k) employing an innovative 3D personal audioenvironment-

an environment originallydeveloped for the defence industry in which using headrelated transfer functions the listener can experience a full special surround sound through the use ofhead phones–

no other hardware is required. This project will be published later this year. Theinteractive tools developed for that project are flexible in their use. Gamelab would bring thisenvironment to this JISC project-

there are few further development costs involved. Most developmentwork would be in creating a suitable user interfaces layer.

Simultaneously and separately Nottingham Trent University have been developing Wii mote accessfor blind users. Various interface concepts have been developed in the serious games domain–

thevirtual cane being a particular application for blind users.

This project represents an opportunity to bring these two separate innovations together to create animmersive blind centred virtual space. There is a specific demand for training in Blind Cricket atLondon Metropolitan University. This will become a vehicle for the creation of a usable interactivevirtual audio space. The space will be sufficiently flexible to allow for adaptation to other applicationselsewhere.Starting with the two institutions involved in this project, we expect our work to be morewidely adopted across HE in the UK and beyond.

It offers players and coaches an unprecedented autonomy in their control of practice times,access to facilities for practice, and the design of coaching drills and applications.

The potential for the development of individualised performance is complemented by accessto the collective norms and standards for skill-development and match-play which areembedded in the environment along with opportunities to work with coaches and otherplayers, thereby consolidating Blind Cricket as a community of practice.

The creation of a digital environment with lean but flexible architecture and established Wii UIto a personal 3D audio environment, allows for technology transfer nationally, internationally andto other blind sports.

Project Acronym:

Version:

Contact:

Date:

Page2

of10

Document title: JISC Project Plan

Last updated: April 2007

3. Overall Approach

Initially,

we will integrate the two software environments-

a relatively straightforward task–

as bothenvironments were developed in Adobe Director. We are essentially applying a new UI to the existing3D audio space. This is the essential technology pre-work.

We will then apply a user centred design approach both for the cognitive and pedagogicaldevelopment phases. Evaluation then becomes integral to the development process. We would not bebuilding a full cricket game… we would be developing an understanding

of cognitive issues and therange of parameters that will drive an effective interactive virtual audio space.

Our evaluation methods range from formal usability testing in usability labs, field observation andsmall focus groups of users. We will haveone user group involved throughout the process. We wouldthen trial on ‘cold’ groups subsequently.

4. Project Outputs



Integrated Wii driven 3D audio space



Playable download



The project website



Final report for Jisc



Trials for Blind Cricket simulation



Understanding of cognitive boundaries and usability issues



Use cases for scaling to full applications and domains other than cricket

5. Project Outcome

On conclusion we will have created:

• A specific Blind Cricket orientated exemplar of a scalable learning space applicable across HE in arange of contexts where kinaesthetic learning styles and ear / hand coordination may be appropriate.

• A ‘space’ that can be integrated into regular learning environments and e-learning contexts.

• A generic virtual space which can be applied in a range of curricular areas to include physics as wellas sports coaching.

We see our work as contributing to JISC’s objectives in the area of Learning Resources and Activitiesof creating environments that offer:

• Technology rich physical and online learning teaching and research spaces are accessible and

flexibly designed to reflect an understanding of the learning styles preferences and diversity of their

Starting with the two institutions involved in this project, we expect our work to be more widelyadopted across HE n the UK and beyond.

6. Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholder

Interest / stake

Importance

London MetUniversitysportscoaching FD

Since September the University has offered a specific studyroute for players and coaches of Blind Cricket on itsFoundation Degree in Community Sport Coaching andPerformance. Besides considering social welfare andpractical coaching issues, the degree requires students toengage formatively with their own performance levels asplayers of their chosen sport. We are in contact with a keydevelopment agency for the game (Cricket for Change) andthrough them with both domestic and international BlindCricket teams. There is a pressing need to offer studentsgreater opportunities to extend, challenge and reflect uponThe Ear Hand training environment forBlind Cricketers both increasesopportunities for

practice and liberates

players from the constraints of time,space, safety and organisation thatpractice imposes in more conventionalsettings. This, in turn, builds autonomyinto the players’ engagement with thegame and enables them to setthemselves targets for development

thatare less likely to be thwarted byProject Acronym:

Version:

Contact:

Date:

Page3

of10

Document title: JISC Project Plan

Last updated: April 2007

their skills and approaches to developing them.

The technology also offers an opportunity to “mainstream”what is currently a niched activity, but being an intrinsicallygood game has the potential to engage a wide range ofplayers with various abilities and disabilities.

dependency upon others.

This offers an opportunity to reverse thenormal flow of inclusive practice andopens opportunities for a form of reverseinclusion.

TechDis

The project will demonstrate how to push the boundaries ofexisting technologies to make them truly accessible andprovide inclusive yet highly engaging content

It offers an opportunity of presentinginclusive content in a non-deficit way

Blind CricketCommunity

Our partners (Cricket 4 Change) are very enthusiastic aboutthe potential of the Ear-hand environment to supportcoaching and skills practice within the community of practiceassociated with Blind Cricket. They have over the past ten orso years been key players in the worldwide expansion of thegame. This has been in countries and settings where cricketis played as part of an indigenous sporting culture as well asothers where it is not. The facility of the Ear-handenvironment opens up fascinating and significantopportunities for extension of this work. Moreover, it opensup opportunities for players in cultural settings wehere theoptions available to blind sportspeople can be severelycurtailed.

This offers a portable sports culturalenvironment in which players’ learningcan be scaffolded in accordance with thenorms of the sport. This offers anopportunity for the development of aworld-wide comity for blind and visuallyimpaired people through sport.

We feel it is vital that players of thegame are involved in the development,construction and critical evaluation of theenvironment at every stage. This is vitalto ensure both an appropriate course fordevelopment and enthusiastic uptake byplayers.

Jisc

The project will demonstrate how to push the boundaries ofexisting technologies to make them truly accessible andprovide inclusive yet highly engaging content

It offers an opportunity to encourage andinspire more cutting-edge inclusiveprojects

Wider HE/FEcommunity

This is a game that doesn’t restrict access only to visually-impaired users but can be widely accessed by everybody

It offers an opportunity to explore otherlearning styles

7. Risk Analysis

Risk

Probability

(1-5)

Severity

(1-5)

Score

(P x S)

Action to Prevent/Manage Risk

Staffing

1

5

5

Full on-going documentationandknowledge sharing and use ofscrum methodology.

Usability

1

5

5

Early research/focus groups withblind cricketers and teachers toidentify game rules, game play andspecific features required for theblind game. Also teachers andprofessional advisors

will beinvolved since the early prototypeto identify possible issues beforetesting it with sample users

User trials

1

3

3

There will be several sources foruser trials recruitment and alsospecific periods will be allocated forit with sufficient notice and will tryto fit with school terms.

Organisational

1

2

2

Again with the use of scrummethodologies organisationalissues will be identified on a dailybasis.

Partnership

1

3

3

A formal contract has been donewith Nottingham Trent and alsothere will be knowledgetransfer/sharing at the early stageof the project to ensure ourdeveloper can continue with theProject Acronym:

Version:

Contact:

Date:

Page4

of10

Document title: JISC Project Plan

Last updated: April 2007

development of the prototype

Technical

1

3

3

Regular micro testing oftechnology. Again scrum willhighlight issues as and when theyarise and

will allow foramelioration.

External suppliers

0

0

Legal

0

0

8. Standards

Name of standard orspecification

Version

Notes

HTML

XHTML 1

As per latest JISC guidelines

PNG

1.2

Javascript

ECMA-357ECMAScriptfor XML ( e4x)

JPEG

1.02

MP3

Bandwidth tba–

愠摥si杮 灥rf潲m慮c攠iss略

tAs

m潳sibl攠慬t敲湡eiv攠e漠䵐3–

瑨is will 扥 慮慵di漠o畡lity iss略.

t3a

sie睰潲琠wo湴n湴n敭扥摤e搠wit桩渠䑩r散瑯爠

䑩r散瑯爠tㄠ⠠1桯ckw慶攩

l灥渠䝌

㍄⁳桯ckwav攠牥湤敲e⁴ ro畧栠佰敮⁇i

䑩r散琠t

㍄⁳桯ckwav攠els漠牥湤敲s⁴ ⁄ r散琠t⁡慮⁡l瑥牮慴ave⁴ ⁏p敮⁇i

䌣

q漠or敡瑥t愠ai扲慲y⁯ ⁦畮c瑩潮s⁴ 扥⁣alle搠異⁢y⁴桥 tii⁳桥ll

tii⁃潮湥ct

tr慰灥r⁦潲⁃⌠oi扲慲y

9. Technical Development

Lingo / director integration of Wii,Physics and audio technology

The project will utilise 3D physics, using the rapid prototyping tool of Adobe Director as a 3Denvironment, together with Havok or Nvidia Aegis PhysX physics engines for a real-time 3D physicsengine. It will utilize existing

technology and workflow, as developed byGamelab London, anddevelopment tools (Adobe Director and AM:3D

Xtra) allowing the positioning of 3D sound sources all around you in a real-time environment. The 3Dpositional audio technology uses "Head-Related Transfer" functions making it possible to perceive a

sound source in any direction (through headphones)

Interaction will be achieved through the use of Wii controller input fed through the Director authoringenvironment/toolset and 3D renderer.

Project Acronym:

Version:

Contact:

Date:

Page5

of10

Document title: JISC Project Plan

Last updated: April 2007

Wii data

is streamed to the foreground application (the cricket game) from a background C# process.This has been shown to be highly accurate and effective from previous use in the Virtual Caneproject.

Rapid prototype/UCD

The User Centred Design (UCD) approach

will be applied to the development of this project. This is awell-established methodology of creating successful interactive products and consists of rapiditerative creation of prototypes throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Rapid prototyping is an essential process in this development lifecycle due to the innovative nature ofthe project and therefore, it is a key factor to test the integration of the technologies right at the start ofthe development as well as throughout its development lifecycle.

Each iteration is followed by functional testing as well as extensive user trials conducted by usabilityexperts to ensure product’s quality meets users expectation. Functional testing of the integratedassets will be done on any sub-set of features developed. The process and findings will bedocumented on tailored testing forms and a review of findings will be conducted every week. Thereports will be made available to Jisc but won’t be posted on the area for public viewing.

SCRUM

We combine UCD to an Agile management process tailored for each project we undertake as bothUCD and agile approaches advocate rapid iterative creation of prototypes and multi-disciplinarycollaboration.

10. Intellectual Property Rights

PR of output application will be retained jointly by partners. There are third-party licences involved.

London Metropolitan University as Gamelab London has exclusive world rights to the licence of theDirector application of the 3D audio engine.

Other third party licences are included in the

development environments in which developers haveunlimited rights.

At the end of this project the IPR of this development will be owned by London MetropolitanUniversity and Nottingham Trent University jointly with AM3D, the licence holders of the original 3Daudio engine.

Project Resources

11. Project Partners

There are two project partners:

London Metropolitan University–

Gamelab London and the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Languagesand Education (HALE)

Nottingham Trent University–

Department of Computing within the Faculty of Science andTechnology

Project Acronym:

Version:

Contact:

Date:

Page6

of10

Document title: JISC Project Plan

Last updated: April 2007

A consortium agreement letter which is currently being processed will be signed in early May 2009.

12. Project Management

The project will be ‘deconstructed’ at the start in a meeting where all the people listed here below willrevise each output or objective set and define subsets of outputs. Once the outputs or features will beprioritized, the development team will need to define and commit to the development and delivery oftasks and sub-tasks. The project manager will chair this process. She will be responsible of thecreation of the project planning by dividing the features and tasks in small ‘packets’ or sprints that canbe delivered in rapid iterations, usually 2 weeks period.

Every morning the team will engage in short SCRUM meetings where they will need to report to theproject manager their progress and define their daily task on the current sprint (portion ofdeliverables). This will enable the project manager to closely monitor the development, identify issuesand assess the pace of development against the project timeframe.

The project manager will run also a meeting at the beginning of each sprint (every 2 weeks) to reviewand commit to the specific tasks and also a sprint review meeting

at the end of each sprint where theteam has the opportunity to reflect on the achievements and allow for some creative brainstorming.

Martin Wright-

Gamelab London, London Metropolitan University

Role: concept development; producer

David Blundell–

London Metropolitan University

Role: field studies; user testing; dissemination

Richard England-

Gamelab London, London Metropolitan University

Role: developer of 3D audio game environment

-

Gamelab London, London Metropolitan University

Role: delivery manager

Simon Schofield

–

Nottingham Trent University

Role: integration of technologies co-ordinator

Steven Battersby–

Nottingham Trent University

Role: developer on the use of Wii interface

13. Programme Support

We would welcome critical input from JISC both in terms of our project development by reviewingprogress on specific milestones for subsequent dissemination from a JISC perspective.